


Eye of the Beholder

by Ryukuroshi



Category: Big Hero 6 (2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Humor, Brotherly Love, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Protective Tadashi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-02
Updated: 2015-01-02
Packaged: 2018-03-04 22:32:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,895
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3094082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ryukuroshi/pseuds/Ryukuroshi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU! In which the notorious jewel thief, Black Sparrow, has his sights set on a sapphire in the Lee Mansion, but did not expect the confounding variable that is Fred. “Dude, if it makes you feel any better, I wasn’t trying to knock you out?” Currently a one-shot.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Eye of the Beholder

**Author's Note:**

> Happy New Years everyone! May your year be filled with happiness, good fortune, success, and love :)

_Tap. Tap. Tap._

 

A sigh and then a clatter as a pen is tossed against a desk. Tadashi groaned as he leaned back in his swivel chair, throwing an arm over his eyes. Why was writing a heist notice so hard?

 

“I see you’ve made progress,” A young voice sounded by his ear as Tadashi looked over to see his brother squinting at the blank square of paper. He smirked, “Or are you using invisible ink this time?”

 

The older teen rolled his eyes, “Ha ha,” he intoned sarcastically, “Very funny. I’ll have you know it takes skill to write this. How about you give it a try?” He lifted the pen enquiringly and Hiro made a face.

 

“No thanks. Poetry is more of your area of expertise.” He ignored Tadashi’s indignant squawk as he pushed his swivel chair back to his own desk, grabbing his laptop. “And this, is mine,” Hiro said as he pushed his chair back to Tadashi’s desk.

 

He opened several screens on the laptop as Tadashi moved closer to get a better look.  Hiro blew his bangs out of his eyes as he enlarged the screen with the blueprints of the Lee Mansion. “Check this place out. It took me forever to get into the mainframe, it’s like the guy’s Batman or something. As you can see, there are three floors, each with at least ten rooms, including an attic and a basement. The foyer leads to all the main rooms and connects the staircase to the entrance of all the floors.”

 

Hiro rotated the blueprint, and circled the pointer over a large expanse of area. “This, is the backyard, or back-forest as I’d like to call it. There’s a large fountain in the center and a bunch of trees, flowers, statues, and shrubs aka, your typical rich dude’s backyard.”

 

Tadashi rubbed his chin, his eyes flicking back and forth on the screen as he committed the blueprint to memory. “The police would have all the ground exits covered...so ideal exits would be through the upper floors.”

 

“Yep,” Hiro replied, popping the ‘p’. “So you better make good use of those new wings I upgraded. Oh, you can also get out through here,” Hiro tapped at a blank spot on the blueprint. “This is the son’s room.”

 

“How did you-?”

“Deductive reasoning and a lot of snooping around,” Hiro answered Tadashi’s unasked question about how he figured that out. He laughed lightly when Tadashi gave him a playful shove in response.

 

“I guess Lee has his own reasons for wanting to keep his son’s room secret, but we’ll use that our advantage. The police won’t know to look there, and that is the most likely place where the gem is. There’s also a skylight and window you can escape through after you get the gem. The second would be in the family safe, but that’s too obvious.”

 

Tadashi nodded, “And what about the security?”

 

“Hacked and under my control,” Hiro replied easily, “I left a back-door for myself in the system, but it’ll be terminated if anyone finds it. I have the guard’s rotation shifts and oh! You’ll love this, camera shots I got of the area.” Hiro clicked on a folder and numerous photos of the Lee mansion from different angles appeared on the screen.  

  
“Hiro! How did you get this? What did I say about me being the one to scope the perimeter?” Tadashi demanded and gave his brother an admonishing look. Belatedly, he realized that’s how Hiro knew what the “back-forest” looked like. Hiro glared back unrepentantly. “I had Baymax with me! Besides, no one saw me and I was testing out that new invisibility suit.”

 

Tadashi groaned, “Hiro!” The two had an impromptu glaring contest until Hiro let out a huff of exasperation, conceding defeat.

 

“I got it! Sheesh, I won’t do it again, but hey, you’ve got to admit, this is useful,” Hiro said defiantly and winced when Tadashi gave him an unimpressed look.

 

Sighing, he said in a quieter tone. “I just have a bad feeling about this heist okay? There’s going to be a bunch of people swarming this place and the Breath of Snow is a very well-known jewel. Who knows what might happen?”

 

Tadashi’s eyes softened as Hiro hunched his shoulders defensively, and he couldn’t help but reach over to ruffle his younger brother’s soft locks. “We knew what we were getting into when we started doing this. No one knows what will happen, but with you watching my back, I’m pretty confident things will work out fine. And who knows, this jewel might be the one.”

 

Hiro scoffed, “Flattery will get you nowhere,” but there was a small smile on his face as he continued discussing the layout of the mansion and the people that resided and worked there.

 

Eventually, the rays of light filtering through the window turned into moonshine and Hiro finally finished cracking through the highly-advanced security system to access the CCTV footage. Then again, Hiro always loved a challenge. He was currently slumped over on his desk with his laptop pressing against his face. Tadashi chuckled quietly, trying not to wake his brother as he placed their dinner on a clear area of their workspace.  

 

“You’re a genius, otouto,” He whispered as he carried Hiro back to his bed, tucking him in tenderly. Not for the first time, he wished that he and his brother had a more normal life instead of facing danger and possible death every day.

 

They didn’t deserve this. _Hiro_ didn’t deserve this. But when have they ever gotten a fair deal from life? Tadashi was at least thankful that he still had Hiro after...He shook his head. Now wasn’t the time to dwell on the past.

 

Sighing, Tadashi stretched, then walked back over to his desk where the piece of paper remained infuriatingly blank. Cracking his knuckles and frowning at the paper, Tadashi sat down and pondered on what he should write.

 

 _What is coming up that most people would know about?_ He thought as he looked out at the window. A new moon was soon due, he noted absently. A light bulb flashed on in his head.

 

“That’s it!” He whispered silently as he scribbled out a couple of drafts first before finalizing everything. Pulling out a final sheet of paper, he wrote out the complete riddle, signing the corner with his signature black sparrow.

* * *

  _When the sun and moon rise and set as one,_

_And the first breath of snow falls dark,_

_Take your time and rest, it’s done._

_Now guess what will make the first mark._

 

“Oh, man, this is _awesome!_ ” Fred crowed as he re-read the note again. “This is like one of those moments where the hero receives a notice from his archenemy for a final showdown.”

 

“Mr. Lee, please -”

 

“Woah,” Fred held out his arms as he turned to face the Chief Inspector, Mr. Ishida. “Mr. Lee is my dad. Call me Fred.”

 

“...Fred. As you can see, that note means that the Black Sparrow is targeting the Breath of Snow sapphire, which is currently in your father’s possession.”

 

“Technically, it’s in my possession, since dad isn’t here right now. He’s on va-cay in the Carribeans.”

 

“What?” The Chief Inspector gave him a deadpan look, his grey hair seeming to droop further at the thought. The two police officer behind him looked half-amused and half-exasperated.

 

“Yep, dad entrusted that diamond-”

 

“Sapphire!”

 

“-to me since it’s supposed to be an important family heirloom of his friend’s....By the way do you know when he’s coming?”

 

The two police officer behind the Inspector glanced each other before the brunette spoke up. Fred glanced at her nametag: K. Garcia.

 

“We’ve figured out that he’s planning to strike during the Winter Solstice, which will be happening next Sunday on December 21st.”

 

Fred pursed his lips in thought, then snapped his fingers. “Oh! That makes sense. ‘ _When the moon and sun set as one’_. The upcoming solstice is supposed to happen within two-and-a-half hours of a new moon. And when there’s a new moon, the moon rises when the sun rises, and sets when the sun sets.

 

Fred began pacing around as the Inspector and police stared at him, gob-smacked while Heathcliff looked on nonchalantly. “ _‘And the first breath of snow falls dark’_. Obviously, the Breath of Snow is the jewel, but the Winter Solstice is also the longest night and shortest day of the year. In a way, that means that the first day of winter will mostly be happening in the dark...Or that could mean that the Black Sparrow will make the jewel disappear into the ‘dark’.”

 

He tapped his chin. “And...the first mark!” Fred shouted as the police jumped in surprise.

 

“Oh, _‘Now guess what will make the first mark.’_ The solstice marks the onset of winter, and” Fred re-read the note. “ _‘Take your time and rest, its done’._ You guys got that part. The day of rest is Sunday, and Black Sparrow is probably done scheming whatever plan he cooked up.”

 

He began hopping around ecstatically. “Dude, this is _awesome_!” He sighed happily, feeling like he just stepped into one of his comics and became the hero.

 

Chief Ishida gaped at him. “H-how did you…?”

 

Fred blinked at him, “Ever heard of the Riddler dude? His riddles are way more confusing.”

 

The three police officers gave each other bemused looks before the Chief cleared his throat, trying in vain to regain his composure. “Well. Since...you seem to understand the magnitude of the, ah, situation. We’ll be seeing you next Sunday.” He turned on his heels and walked stiffly away, looking frazzled even from behind as the other two police officer followed him hurriedly.

 

“See ya!” He waved as Heathcliff closed the door, wishing them a good day. He shuffled his hands together anticipation. “ _Best. Christmas. Ever_.”

* * *

  **December 21, 20XX** | **8:54 P.M. PST**

 

Tadashi grunted as he stashed the guard behind a statue, the sleeping gas working like a charm. Quickly, he donned the man’s uniform as the walkie-talkie buzzed. He scanned the man’s ID card as he recalled what Hiro said about the guard.

 

_Takada Ishioka, Age 22, Married with two children, kind of clumsy and very friendly_

 

And Tadashi looked similar enough to pass as him, especially when he had a face mask prepared just for this.  

 

_“Ishioka, do you copy?”_

 

 _“Copy that.”_ He made sure to lower his voice just a bit.

 

_“What’s your 20?”_

 

 _“Still in the same area I was assigned. I accidentally walked into a bush and almost knocked a statue over. Sorry about that.”_ He laughed awkwardly.

 

There was a sigh, as if the person was used to hearing things like this, and then, _“Roger that. Over and out.”_

 

Tadashi smirked, and walked confidently towards the back entrance, not minding all the cops around him.

 

“Oh, Ishioka, shift over already?” One of the other guards asked as he passed by. He lowered his cap discreetly. “Yeah, I’m going to let Josh know right now,” he replied as he walked into the mansion.

 

“Didn’t run into anything again this time did you?”

 

Tadashi laughed back amiably, “You know me,” and the man shook his head amusedly in response, turning up the collars of his coat in an attempt to ward off the cold. Tadashi made a quick overview of the area as he made his way into the foyer.

 

There were reporters swarming everywhere, and a crowd was outside hoping to catch a glimpse of the elusive Black Sparrow. He could hear their shouts even from inside the house. One of the police officers grumbled as he passed by, “Who the heck let the press know about this?”

 

Tadashi inwardly smiled. _Way to go, Hiro._ It was a good distraction, he thought as he glanced at his watch (9:04 P.M.). And another distraction was due in…3...2...1…

 

_Click._

 

The entire foyer turned pitch-black as the light shut off and a bunch of startled shouts littered the air. He moved hurriedly through the crowd, dodging people left and right as he threw off his disguise and donned his Black Sparrow mask. People were hurriedly tuning on the flashlights of their smartphones. This was where things got dangerous and _fun_.

 

“He’s here!” One of the reporters shouted as he dashed by her and up the stairs. An enraged shout sounded somewhere behind him as Chief Ishida shouted, “Not this time Black Sparrow!”

 

He dodged two police officers, tripping one of them and laughing as they crashed into two others. “Good seeing you guys again!” He shouted back as he turned on his communicator.

 

 _“Little Sparrow do you copy?”_ There was a crackle of static.

 

 _“Affirmative. There’s a large group of cops coming to your left.”_ Tadashi turned right and down the corridor. Spotting one of the guards coming at him with a baton, he sprinted towards one of the decorative tables and sprung off it, flipping over the guard’s head. He rolled into the fall, slipping a modified flash grenade into his hands, and tossed it over his shoulder, closing his eyes as a flash sounded.

 

“Agh!”

 

“Don’t worry, it’ll wear off in five minutes!” He called after the cops and guard who were stumbling around in confusion and disorientation. He ran through the corridors, dodging cops left and right as they shouted in dismay, when his brother’s voice sounded through the intercom.

 

 _“Stop.”_ Tadashi quickly hid behind one of the large vases, pulling out a smoke bomb and throwing it down the corridor. As smoke seeped into the air, some guards ran straight into the smoke.

 

“He’s heading for the safe!” One of them shouted as reporters quickly followed them, coughing lightly. A group of police officers trailed behind them, shouting at them to return to the foyer. _“To your right, there should be a pair of doors that leads to a library.”_

 

When the coast was clear, Tadashi sneaked into the room, nearly gasping in awe at the row of books that lined the room. His fingers twitched, itching to pull one off the shelf, then shook his head, focusing on his brother’s voice. _“Down one of the rows, there should be a painting of a pear. Tickle it.”_

 

 _“...What.”_ He said in a deadpan tone, walking swiftly down the rows until he spotted the painting of the pair at the very last row.

 

 _“I’m serious.”_ He knew his brother was being serious. He always was during heists, but still, tickling a pear? He did it anyway and stifled a yelp as the giant painting clicked open to reveal a door.

 

He gaped, “Cool.” The door blended into the wall so smoothly that he would’ve thought it was a wall if he didn’t know otherwise.

 

_“Frederick should be out with everyone else down below. You have probably fifteen minutes, tops, before he gets here. The Chief and everyone else probably still think that you’re going after the fake in the family safe.”_

 

_“Roger that.”_

 

Tadashi clicked the side of his mask to turn on the night-vision lenses and frowned in dismay at the most-definitely-owned-by-a-teenager room. There were piles of clothes everywhere, open pizza boxes with slices still left on it, comics all over the desk, and a pile of blankets on the bed. He grimaced in disgust, stepping carefully around the debris. He hoped there weren’t mice or cockroaches in one of those suspicious piles.

 

 _“Can you scan the room?”_ There was a moment of silence as Hiro worked his magic, and then: _“There, on the headboard, there is a space behind the wall. Once you get the jewel, exit through the skylight. Your motorcycle will be waiting at the usual spot.”_

 

Nodding in confirmation, he stepped closer to the bed, pulling out an EMP generator to temporarily cancel out the electronic coding system that was probably used for the safe when a yawn filled the room. He stiffened, cursing lightly.

 

_“...Black Sparrow, you’ve gotta get out of there quick!”_

 

“Oh man, I totally overslept,” a voice muttered. Fred sat up in bed, blinking around blearily when he froze at the sight of Black Sparrow in his room.

 

“HOLY MEGAZON!” He screamed, falling off the other side of the bed as Tadashi hurriedly backpedaled only to trip over one of the piles of pizza boxes. He had time to only mutter a ‘Code Red’ to Hiro when a blunt force hit the side of his head and everything darkened.

* * *

 

Fred heaved in exertion, his sign still held up high over his head as he stared down at the teen knocked out on his floor. He rushed to turn on the lights, then crept back to analyze the masked thief.

 

He wore a long-sleeved shirt underneath what looked like a bulletproof vest. A black pair of gloves adorned his hands and arm guards protected his forearms. A grey utility belt encircled his waist. Glancing down, he saw that the teen wore dark pants and combat boots. Overall, he looked more like a superhero or ninja than a thief.

 

Fred further noted that he had black hair, pale features...and that black sparrow mask. The blond crouched down, trying to get a closer look when the other teen groaned and he leapt back in a defensive position, his sign raised again. When the other showed no other sign of movement, Fred lowered the sign and took a moment to finally register what he had done.

 

“I-I just took out the Black Sparrow,” he grabbed his head, dropping the sign, “I took out the Black Sparrow. I, Frederkick Lee, no, Fred, no, Fredzilla, took out the notorious masked thief!” He jumped around in excitement then slowed down to really think about that. He quickly shut the door to his room, just in case anyone other than Heathcliff was in the library looking for the Black Sparrow.

 

Now what was he supposed to do with him? Fred walked back over and nudged the thief with his foot, but received no response. He didn’t expect anything like this to happen and though he probably should let the police know about what happened...Fred felt like it was wrong to turn him in.

 

The pictures he had seen of the Black Sparrow were blurry and usually dark so he had been expecting some middle-aged man with nothing better to do with his life, not this teenager who was about his age and looked waaaay to normal and non-villainy to be a famous thief. Minus all the gadgets and costume of course.

 

There was only one thing left to do. He picked up his phone and dialed one of his friends, simultaneously texting Heathcliff at the same time.

 

_“Hello?”_

 

“Guys, I need your help.”

* * *

 Hiro stared at his blacked-out laptop screen in disbelief. He quickly tapped some keys on his laptop, but the screen remained dark.

 

“Black Sparrow, do you copy? Black Sparrow! _Tadashi!_ ” No response. Hiro threw down his mic headset, stepping back from his desk and panic welling up in his chest. Code Red. Code Red. They had practiced for this, he was supposed to contact one of their friends and go into hiding, then get Tadashi out of whatever mess he got in. But how can he do that when everyone else was out of the country? And he was _not_ going to hide out while his brother was in danger.

 

“What to do, what to do,” he began pacing around, different ideas and scenarios running through his mind in an instant, but none ending well. There was a squeak as Baymax shuffled into the room.

 

“Hiro, I sense that your serotonin levels are low. You are in distress. What seems to be the problem?”

 

Hiro’s head snapped up. “Baymax.” He turned to the bot that Tadashi had designed to be his protector while he was away. A ludicrous plan wrote itself out in his head, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. Tadashi could yell at him later.

 

“You know what to do, buddy. Code Blue.” Baymax blinked, then straightened when he recognize the activation code for his battle and protection programming.  

 

“Affirmative.” Baymax replied, his previously soothing and calming tone taking on a sharper edge as armor formed over his huggable, non-threatening design.

 

Hiro ran to grab some supplies and his invisibility suit, wincing at the thought of wearing a prototype but not having much of a choice. “Alright, Baymax, we’re going to save Tadashi.” He grabbed a spare mask and turned on the night-vision lenses as he climbed onto Baymax’s back. He opened the skylight of their home, and took a calming breath, hoping he wasn’t too late.

 

“Fly towards his last coordinates.”

 

Not for the first time, he wished that Tadashi would no longer have to put himself into danger for him and their Aunt.  

* * *

 A strange amalgam of disembodied voices filtered into his hearing as Tadashi tried to get his bearings. There was something pounding in his head and he felt as if his mouth was stuffed with cotton. His eyes felt as heavy as lead and for the life of him, he couldn’t remember what he had been doing before this.

 

Suddenly, his memories came back with a rush of nausea and disorientation.

 

Involuntarily letting out a groan, Tadashi stiffened when the voices ceased. He tried to move, but his limbs felt oddly numb and stuff. Slitting open his eyes, he took note of the rope wrapped around him. Whoever had tied him up was either a scout, paranoid, panicked, or all of the above because he was wrapped in so many layers of rope that he could only move his hands and his feet were tied at the ankles.

 

If only he could reach his utility belt, he thought grumpily when he spotted it across the room, but thanked the gods when he realized he still at least had his mask on. He scanned the room quickly for escape routes and found a few (the window, the skylight, the door, heck through the wall if he had too) but they were no use if he couldn’t even move. A blob walked into his line of view and he had to blink a few times before he could make out a figure.

 

“So you’re finally awake.” The Korean girl spoke up, popping her bubble gum and staring intensely at him with distrust and wariness. He gazed coolly back at her, noting the kind of outfit she wore. Leather jacket, biker gloves, and running shoes. Her purple highlights added to her look, screaming punk, or more specifically, don’t-mess-with-me.

 

_Biker or street fighter?_

 

He kept her in his peripheral vision as a tall blonde in a peach cardigan, white blouse, and maroon leggings spoke up. Her glasses glinted under the lights and her heels clicked ominously towards him. Morbidly, he wondered if you could stab people with heels.

 

_...Fashionista? Boutique store owner?_

  
There was a chemical stain on her sleeve.

 

_Maybe chemist._

 

“So...”  Honey Lemon said attempting to smile at their captive. She chuckled nervously when all he did was give her a blank stare. This was such a surreal situation, she didn’t even know what kind of questions to even ask. Maybe she should introduce herself.

 

“Hi, I’m Honey Lemon.” Black Sparrow wasn’t the only one that gave her a weird look at that, but the others also introduced themselves reluctantly, except for GoGo.

 

“So, who are you?” GoGo asked, crossing her arms and leaning against the wall. She made sure to avoid the suspicious pile of clothes by her feet.

 

Tadashi tilted his head and smirked at them infuriatingly, “I believe you already know who I am. Black Sparrow, at your service,” Then tensed when Fred stepped into his line of vision.

 

 _Crazy board swinger._ Tadashi noted in his mind and left it at that.

 

Fred cleared his throat. “Dude, if it makes you feel any better, I wasn’t trying to knock you out?” He tried to reach out diplomatically.

 

Tadashi rolled his eyes. His head most definitely did not feel any better after that admission and and neither did his pride. After all these years, of course he would end up getting captured by a group of nerds, and knocked out by an advertisement sign to boot.

 

“It’s actually crazy cool how you got past the security system. How did you do that anyway, it’s supposed to be state-of-the-art equipment!”  

 

“Tricks of the trade.” He responded, then clammed up. Fred looked at the others and shrugged, mouthing ‘I tried’.

 

Wasabi chuckled nervously and gulped when the Black Sparrow turned to look at him.

Tall and burly, dressed in a pale green sweater and sweat pants, Tadashi thought that he could probably take him out if he tried. Though he didn’t know why the word _sushi_ kept coming to mind.

 

“Fred, I’m sorry for not believing you when you said you caught the Black Sparrow, but this...this is out of our control! Quite frankly, there’s too many weird things happening today, first with you actually being freaking rich, the mansion, the jewel, and now this. I think we should go to the police,” Wasabi reasoned, standing back and watching Tadashi as if he was a rabid dog.

 

At this, Tadashi felt the first stirrings of panic. Inwardly, he shouted, _‘No, don’t!’_ , but outwardly he said, “You don’t want to do that.”

 

“...Why not?” GoGo tried to fish for some answers. “You’re technically a criminal, with repeated offenses of theft, and you’re trespassing on private property. That warrants enough jail time for years...or are you worried about being unmasked and having your mystery and fame stripped away from you?”

 

GoGo wasn’t sure what to think about the dark-haired teen before her, but knew from experience that people tended to talk more when you riled them up.

 

Tadashi instead warily asked, “How come you didn’t unmask me?” intentionally ignoring GoGo’s other comment. He wasn’t doing this for mystery and fame.

 

Fred quickly answered him, “It’s in the superhero code, dude. You just don’t unmask people.”

 

“Freddie...I think this would be a good reason to unmask anyone, especially when they’re trying to rob you,” Honey Lemon added on, but didn’t move to unmask the Black Sparrow either.

 

None of them really wanted to for some reason, maybe it was because he was around their age, they didn’t really want to see _who_ was behind the mask, or because he didn’t feel like a bad guy, but they still wanted answers. “Why are you stealing jewels?” She tried asking but received no response.

 

“Hey man, we’re trying to understand why you’re doing this...you don’t seem like a supervillain, but you don’t look like a good guy either.” Fred raised a finger, “Right now your life is in our hands so if you don’t answer us...” He dropped his finger. Man this was way easier in the comics. How do you convince an uncooperative thief to talk to you when all he would give you was cryptic responses.

 

“Look, we just want some answers, and since you broke into my room to steal the Breath of Snow, I think we deserve some answers,” Fred settled with that statement.

 

Tadashi stared at him. Admittedly, he did have a point, but...“I can’t tell you why. I have my own reasons for doing what I do, but you can’t send me to prison. The moment these ropes come off, I can disappear in an instant.”

 

Wasabi looked at him nervously. “W-was that a threat?” Honey Lemon stepped back unsurely while GoGo tensed defensively and Fred inched towards the sign he left on the ground. Tadashi gave him a baleful look and he froze mid-step.

 

He winced when he felt a twinge of pain and dropped his head, for the first time actually looking like his age at the show of vulnerability. “No, it’s a fact.” He struggled with what he should say since he wasn’t going to get out of this situation anytime soon. Maybe if he talked more nicely, they would let him go.  

 

Tadashi gave them a measured look and they all looked back warily in response as he hesitantly revealed, “Look...there’s..there’s someone waiting for me back home. I can’t leave him alone, he still needs me. So if you let me go, you get to keep your jewel, I disappear, and no one has to know what happened.”  

 

Inside, he was worrying about what Hiro could possibly be doing right now and prayed to every deity out there that he was not doing anything stupid in an attempt to rescue him.

 

“Your son?” Honey Lemon asked, then quickly backtracked at the incredulous look she received. “Brother?”

 

They received no response back, but if the stiffening of his shoulders were anything to go by, they were right.

 

GoGo cut to the chase, “Why _are_ you stealing jewels? Is it for your brother?”

 

Tadashi looked at her, weighing his options then cryptically answered, “Yes and no. Like I said, my reasons are my own, but they’re not...what you probably think they are.”

 

“And what do you think, we think you reasons are?”

 

“That I’m doing this for mystery and fame? ‘Cause I have nothing better to do with my life? To mess with the police? For the thrill of robbing people? Well, actually, I do feel a thrill, but it’s not from robbing people.” The others looked at each other askance.

 

Wasabi sighed, pressing a hand against his face, “Look guys, we’re nerds. We’re not cut out for this interrogation business.”

 

Honey Lemon nodded thoughtfully, “Yeah...I mean, he doesn’t seem like a bad guy so why don’t we just let him go? Oh, but he might do this again and stealing is bad…” She tapped her foot, struggling with what to do in this kind of situation. She looked to Fred but he shrugged.

 

“I called you guys here hoping you guys would know what to do.”

 

“I say we should turn him in.” Everyone turned to stare at GoGo who chewed her gum thoughtfully, a crease appearing in her eyebrows. “If I’m guessing correctly, you’re the only one doing the actual stealing. If your brother is actually involved, he should get a lighter sentence, especially if he’s a minor.”

 

“No!” Tadashi struggled against his bonds, but growled when he couldn’t even move an inch. “Didn’t you hear what I said earlier?” He demanded, dropping all pretenses the moment his brother’s safety was in question.  

 

No one noticed the skylight being slowly cut through by a laser as Tadashi glared at them and the others stepped back warily.

 

She narrowed her eyes at him. “If you really care for your brother, why are you putting him through a life of crime? Isn’t it better to come clean and live a normal life without having to worry about being chased by Sanfransokyo police and the interpol?”

 

Tadashi let out a huff, glaring back at her, “You don’t understand.”

 

“Then let us understand. We want to help!” Honey Lemon shouted. At that moment, everyone screamed as a boy suddenly flickered into existence in the middle of the group. Wasabi leapt back with a shriek, accidentally falling through the hidden door as the others took on defensive positions.

 

“Shit.” Hiro cursed his suit as he called out, “Baymax!” There was a squeak and everyone looked up incredulously to see a pair of armored legs swinging back and forth through the skylight.

 

“I appear to be stuck.”

 

“An accomplice! So that’s how you get things done!” Fred shouted. “Wait, so you’re-” he reached a hand towards Hiro who stepped back cautiously, holding his arms up.  

 

“ ** _Don’t you dare touch him!_** ” He shouted and everyone flinched back at the cold fury in his voice, a quick and frightening transition from the calm if not snarky teen he had been before. For the first time, they could see why he was an internationally-wanted thief.

 

“Guys!?” Honey Lemon shouted as she pulled out her phone, intending to call the police, but accidentally taking several pictures instead when her hands shook. Wasabi slammed open the door and screamed again when he saw the chaos going on inside the room.

 

“What! What is- What!” Fred stuck his head out the door calling for Heathcliff then dived into his closet searching for something.

“Baymax!” Tadashi shouted, and the bed actually creaked as he pulled against the ropes with his full force. Hearing Tadashi’s sound of distress, Baymax strained his armored arms, breaking through the skylight and landing with a thump on the ground. The floor shook with his weight and glass shattered everywhere, scattering jagged pieces at the screaming occupants.

 

Hiro grunted in pain as one of the pieces cut his neck, but the shock spurred him into action as he ran towards Tadashi, pulling out a laser pocket knife and cutting through the layers of rope like butter.

 

Tadashi pulled a large piece of glass towards him with his feet and quickly cut the ropes tied around his ankles. Sweat trickled down his forehead at the sudden burst of adrenaline and the fear that wrapped around him at having Hiro this close to danger.

 

“What are my orders?” Armored Baymax asked, scanning the occupants of the room. Seeing this, GoGo quickly pulled out a pair of nunchuks she had tied behind her back.

 

“Watch out!” She shouted, standing protectively in front of her friends.

 

“Knock them out!” Tadashi shouted and Fred hearing this, jumped up holding a device in his hands. He handed Wasabi something and whispered in his ears.

 

“Honey Lemon!” He then pointed frantically at the EMP generator by the ground and seeing what Fred meant, she narrowed her eyes grabbing the device from the floor.

 

“Eat this!” She shouted in return as she activated the device and threw it at Baymax. The moment the electromagnetic pulse hit Armored Baymax, he blinked before shutting down, the armor receding. A moment later, the bot toppled over scattering clothes and pizza boxes.

 

“Baymax!” Hiro shouted, letting out a sudden ‘oof’ as he was tackled by his brother who bowled over Wasabi in the process. “No! Tadashi, we can’t leave him behind!” He cried desperately, clinging to his brother as he grabbed his utility belt, pulling out his grappling hook.

 

“We’ll come back for him!” Tadashi shouted, hating to leave Baymax behind, but knowing they needed to get out of here _now_. “Hang on.”

 

Everyone else watched as the brothers disappeared through the skylight, the night swallowing them in an instant.

 

There was a moment of shocked silence as everyone just gaped at each other until Fred spoke up.

 

“Did you stick it on him?”

 

Wasabi nodded dumbly, still staring up at the skylight.

 

“Stick what?” GoGo asked in as calm a voice as she could muster, her nunchuks hanging limply in her hand.  

 

“The tracker I handed to Wasabi just now.” Wasabi rounded on him.

 

“You gave me a what?! And I just stuck that on him? Fred are you trying to give me a heart attack?!” He moaned, covering his face. “I am not cut out for crime-fighting. What am I doing with my life?

 

Honey Lemon stepped warily next to Baymax then looked at her friends with wide eyes. “Guys...what just happened?”

 

**Author's Note:**

> Wow, I’m not even quite sure what I just wrote or where I was even going with this. Armored Baymax is the same as Baymax in the movie with the fighting chip except calmer, less bloodthirsty, and more efficient. Not sure what his armor looks like though, I wasn’t thinking about that. He is still the same loveable personal healthcare companion we know just with added functions for defense and fighting. 
> 
> As always, let me know what you guys think in a review :). 
> 
> For now, this will be a one-shot unless anyone wants me to continue it. I’m not sure what else to do with it at the moment though. 
> 
> Here’s some common walkie-talkie lingo if you guys didn’t get that:  
> Yes = Affirmative/Big 10  
> No = Negatory  
> On completing a conversation = Over and Out  
> Can you hear me? = Do you copy?  
> I heard you = Copy that  
> Ok = 10-4  
> Understood = Roger that  
> Where are you? = What’s your 20?  
> Are you on air and listening? = Got your ears on?


End file.
